Happy 6th Birthday To Us!

Wahoo and Happy 6th Birthday to Tot Squad!!! Time flies when you're having fun and I can’t believe it has been 6 years since our very first event, at Giggle in Pasadena (back when we were known as "CleanBeeBaby"). The business has been through quite the evolution since then!

I’ve always known I would be an entrepreneur – it is in my blood. I started mulling over business ideas my first year at Kellogg in 2008 and 3 years later, CleanBeeBaby was born. I moonlighted while working full time at The Wonderful Company to pay off my tuition sponsorship and after quitting, spent 6 months driving the van every day and doing the cleaning and installations, myself. Scrubbing vomit-coated car seats in 100 degree heat – those were some of the hardest, most humbling days. However, I can now say that I’ve done every job at this company and there is immense value in that.

Shortly after nailing the logistics and pricing in Los Angeles, we opened our doors in NYC and it’s been full steam ahead since then. Seeing our first franchise open last year was a dream come true!

The business is undergoing its latest exciting development with a NEW focus on servicing large businesses that utilize baby gear. In addition to cleaning the car seats used in Uber's family program in NYC, we now have interest from a major rental car company to manage their car seat program at 60 major airports. We aren't giving up on our dream of becoming the “Geek Squad” of the baby world, but we are exploring these new opportunities with vigor. We will continue to service the many families who rely on our safety advice and cleaning prowess. There is nothing more joyful than working with expecting and new parents in such a tender stage of their lives.

Of all the many developments, I am personally most excited about the people that are with me on this journey. It has taken a long time to get it right, but we now have the "dream team" in place, and I love coming to work every day with Shanna, John, Ann, Jade, Beth and the many frontline folks we have working in the field. We're a mission-driven business and we work hard, but have fun while we do it.

From the first $600k raised in 2014 to the nearly $2MM mark we are close to reaching, I am so grateful to the incredible friends, colleagues and total strangers who have taken a chance on me. It's always interesting to reflect back on where you've been and to remember both the hard days (at least a few where I cried in my car and wanted to give up) and the great days (like when The New York Times called!).

Thanks for joining me on this roller coaster ride and for all your support over the last 6+ years.

- Jen

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